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Citibanker’s Journey

First process to apply in Citibank is dropping your CV by email to human resources staff. To get more information, try to get closer with HR, someone who contact you could be internship student or new employee. So, it is the benefit for you to be more flexible and comfortable to ask anything because they are also almost in the same age with you.

After you drop your email, the candidate will be selected for the next step which is interview. The style of interview could be different from one person to another because location consideration. If you stay far from the Citibank Office, first interview will be phone interview (I did phone interview, I just recognized that not everybody did phone interview, some of my friends who leave in jakarta, they are invited to come to Citibank office for first interview)

The question is actually not difficult but that possibly difficult because you think it is simple question.First, you got an email and schedule of phone interview. It is around 3 days from you got an email and your schedule. You need to do research as much as possible what program you want to apply and everything about the company. Don’t think that phone interview is easy. The question was simple “what are differences between O&T MA and Citi MA”

My answer was O&T MA is more about Operation and Technology Management Associate, we will get the exposure of operational things and how to utilize the technology for more profitable business. I don’t answer it directly, too many aaaaaa, emmmm, it shows my uncertainty, I got exposure about the back office things. I don’t really know about the program, I just answer it using my common sense, assumption and direct referring to the poster. This kind of answer risk much your application. Suddenly the interviewer (country director of MA program) respond my answer with just simple question, “Have you read and research about citi MA program?” My answer was “i read but i did not research much about that and i am in doubt with the my understanding of reading the information on job recruitment poster” could you help me to explain about what is this and that?, I am curious”. The interviewer by phone respond, “you better read first then when you are ready get back to me”.

I think i was lucky enough to get the second chance for the interview, maybe because the interviewer value my “curiosity and passionate to learn about what is about” since this value is the basic requirement for people to be success in his career, you don’t work as a robot doing same thing from time to time, but you have curiosity, what, and why, because the company need someone who are not only completing the same things from time to time, but they need your innovation, initiative to increase the bottom line. You should know why you do the job, and then you know how to innovate better process.

Then, I got about almost a week to research about MA program. I am confused why the interviewer not contact me. Then, I contact interviewer by email (I always feel uncomfortable about waiting). I tell them that I am ready to answer the question.

I know that O&T MA benefit is you get the opportunity to learn about “end to end” process. You can’t be rotated to the front of business side. The benefit is that you will be in O&T after you graduate from MA program. O&T project is clear about handling project optimization how to lean the work flow for example. You work with the big data, analyze, bring your data to managerial level, meeting and present, got reject then you should modify, run with the people who don’t respond your email. You are focus on the back end process which is operation. Citibank finance and compliance director was the graduate of O&T MA program.

Citi MA provide you with more chance to rotate from back, middle and front. You can be rotated everywhere you want in Citibank Indonesia, GCB, ICG or SSG (O&T is in SSG) or GCG. GCB is Global Consumer Banking. This division create a product for consumer as individual such as personal credit card, savings, loan and investment. ICG is Institutional Clients Group. This division serve the instituional clients like national giant corporation like Pertamina KAI and Garuda (Emirsyah Satar Ex CEO Garuda and Ignatius Jonan Ex CEO KAI were in this program).

The title of the person working in ICG would be Investment Banker. Then GCG is Global Consumer Groups. This division provide service like cash management or loan for the multinational companies like Chevron, Conoco, Toyota who have the subsidiary in Indonesia. You can learn how to handle global companies but you learn less than investment banker who work in ICG providing service for national companies. Because you help to provide financial service, setting a financing scheme and consultant for them from zero to be significantly profitable and accountable companies. So, it is no doubt when many finance background people want to be investment banker who work in ICG. SSG is Shared Service Group. This division is non core division or non revenue center division, because support. SSG include Finance, HR, Compliance and Antimoney Laundring, Internal Audit, Internal Compliance and Public Affairs)

So which MA you want to choose, you should consider it. When you want to focus and be specialist you can choose O&T MA, but if you want to get broader exposure, choose Citi MA but in some point, you can go like nowhere because its flexibility, you can do many things and have many responsibilities where many people drop project to you. Tigor Siahaan Ex Citibank Country Director was In Citi MA, as Gita Wiryawan ex Trade minister as well. Make sure during the interview you tell about your passion to be citibankers because its network and alumni, we never heard about other ex but we always heard about ex citibankers. citi that never sleep. Your ambitions, passions, and also fanatic about Citi will value your position during interview.

After first interview, you need to wait about a week for the result. The selected candidate will be invited to second panel interview. It was in Mulia hotel, Citibank not cover your travel from home to hotel. The second interview is divided into 3 rooms. First room is ICG user (Sergio Maza), second room GCG user (Daniel Widjono), third room HR and SSG user (Diana)

In first row, I am invited to be interviewed in third room / SSG (the most exciting part), because the interviewer is really energetic and they asked more about general things. First I have to introduce myself using professional style while sitting wear suit. I think they will find the most unique part you wrote on your cv. I mentioned breakdancing as my hobby. They told me to shows how I dance at that time. I just follow the order and breakdancing in front of them, they want to know how I learn. They asked me why I know the job recruitment and I have said I actively search information where I am. When I am in campus just ask for campus information centre, when I am in Cafe, I am browsing using my computer about the job, and it comes to Citi now because Citi also everywhere when we talk as global scope.

Second, interview from Sergio Maza, “He asked me where do you live and how you go to school when you are child and how you get this information since you are from village?” Yes, I remember when I was in junior high school, I go to school by bus using Bus, however I am from village, I always want to learn something outside which far more advance than my village. This might shows your passion to grow and out from your comfort zone.

Third, Daniel not much asked me, but he would rather giving kind of lecture, so I just said that I want to become like you and giving motivation to employee candidates like me in the future. He might test the candidate how to listen well to people.

Luckily, I am selected to the next step which are debate and presentation (final round). The topic of presentation given in 24 hours then we are asked to submit the powerpoint slide, the topic was three big threats of banking industry in Indonesia, I present more about the regulation side so It brings me to my first assignment of Citi MA in Compliance Division. Then, the debate topic also given 24 hours before you go to present. I was reading reference before debate but not summarise and print the material. So, I feel less than other candidate at that time. Other candidate choose the suitable topic for them, because I am not really dominant I thought, I got the last chance to argue during debate and all the things already explained by other candidate.

The topic for debate was “Citibank office should be in SCBD or not and why” Our team got pros to the idea. My argument as the latest is that It should be in SCBD because as global leading banking should shows its existence and strength to be a finance pillar. When Citi is in the central, the information would be more up to date compare to the office which is not in SCBD. I talk more about networking and development chance would be better.

During my presentations, there was Munadi Umar, who is Head of GCG and japanese desk asked me using japanese language because he saw my CV that I was in Japan for a year. Gunadi umar (management level) in Citi Indonesia was previously worked in Citibank Tokyo for more than 5 years because He graduated from MBA program Tokyo University. I summarise my presentation content into 3 big threats: financial literacy, financial regulation and crimeThe question related presentation content just about the capital adequacy ratio and I am not really able to deliver strong argument related some question about this ration because that was really technical. After presentation you are asked more about your endurance, I write in my CV that I was in Japan, they asked me to explain the most unforgettable memories there. I said that I was doing part time Job since I miss to lock phone bill, my phone bill become so expensive and I don’t have much money. I promise to my parent that I will not asked them money in case I have problem in Japan, so it comes to part time job as solution however I can’t talk japanese fluently. But I am quite brave i think, when I push my self, I am sure I can, that is my believe.

But, maybe the positive point from me at that time is my passion to become citibanker. I want to change the world, when we talk about changing the world we talk about economy, economy is about finance, and when we talk about finance its bank, Its citibank. Only Excitibankers I have ever heard, and I want to be the Citibankers. What is your plan for next 10 years? I will seat in your seat I have said to the Country Director.

It is recommended for you to watch in youtube about how to success in interview, use information in the financial report, understand the industry, asked people work in company, combine with the theory and current issue such as regulation on using rupiah during the transaction new BI regulation. So keep update with the industry, research as much as you can